| |
(OCT 17) Everything that happens in boxing
effects everything else at the upper most reaches. Take for example the
campaign to get WBC Champ Yodsanan Nanthachai (3-K Battery) to fight either
Joel Casamayor or Antonio Fritas. What happened was that after fights in Las
Vegas and Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago the
landscape has changed. First Diego Corrales (37-2)
fought Casamayor in a “knockdown down drag’em out hum
ding” brawl. Corrales was down twice and Casamayor
once. The fight was stopped in the 6th due to two
“severe cuts” inside Corrales mouth. In this case the
both fighters won. Casamayor showed power while
Corrales legitimized his role as a top rank fighter to
the weight.
The same night Eric Morales destroyed Guty Espades and
then announced he was going the 130 pounders. All of a
sudden the room got full and most dance cards were
full. Toss in Carlos Hernandez’s defense of his IBF
title the same night and all bets are off.
The “guess” on my part when I started this edition of
The Square Ring was validated with an e-mail I
received from Khun Songchai, the promoter for 3-k
Battery. “About Yodsanan, I prepare his non title bout
on Nov 7, 2003. I provide this bout for him therefore
to warm up before he will fight against Freitas due to
WBA order. However until now, I do not get any respond
from Freitas’ manager.”
As us Yanks like to say, “Checks in the Mail.”
The on and off again saga of Heavyweight Champion
Corrie Sanders and his title defense is “off”. Sanders
has told the WBO what they can do with their phony
title. He’s also signed with Din King which means that
he will fight next for the WBO. President Francisco
Valcarcel said, “I still don’t have official
confirmation of Sanders [giving up the belt], but if
it should be like that, Wladimir Klitschko is
considered a completely hot challenger to Lamon
Brewster.” As Gomer Pyle used to say, Surprise…
surprise”. Universcum, a German company, gets rid
South African and get their very own no hearted
Wladimir back. “Matha it’s a miracle.”
Meanwhile The Square Ring reported on the “maybe
fight” for David Tua against Hasim Rahman on December
13 for the WBA Interim Title. No maybe now the fight
is off. Deader than Kelsey’s reproductive organ. Tua’s
managerial trouble were just too much to overcome.
Those problems including the splitting with longtime
friend/trainer/manager Kevin Berry and financial man
Matin Pugh. King call it “domestic problems.”
Now scheduled for December 13 is former champ John
Ruiz will fight Rahman. Two things are certain. Tua’s
career as a “factor” in the heavyweight division is
over. The second factor in the equation is that the
Rahman-Ruiz fight will be lousy. How bad? If you have
a root canal scheduled, a week with the in-laws or a
trip to watch six year olds doing Shakespeare any one
would be better than watching Rahman-Ruoz. “Oh what
has Don King done to us? He has sent us to watering
holes to drown our sorrows.” We condemn him on the
first count and will forever be thankful for the
second.
Like the play that opened on Broadway and closed the
same night the Holyfield-Toney fight was an artistic
success but a financial failure. There are raves and
raves about the quality of the action. Problem is that
financially it was a bust. The venue wasn’t sold out
and the pay-per-view is being estimated at a dreary
150,000-175,000. Dreary in regard to making money.
Tony on the top of the fistic world is telling all
that will ask and some that don’t, “Bring’em all on.”
Bringing them on isn’t a problem. Paying them is.
One Thai that isn’t afraid to travel is WBC
International Champ Bantan Napopol Kiattisakchocchoi
(22-1) who travels to the famed Olympic in Los
Angeles. The fight scheduled for November 22 will
match him against WBC Super Bantan Oscar Larios
(49-3-1). Larios was considered an “old warhorse”
until he lowered the boom on Israel Vazquez (32-2)
back in May of “ought 2”. Now he’s the man. The fight
will follow Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (48-2) vs. Hussein
Hussein (22-0) in Thailand on November 9 for the WBC
Flyweight belt.
The really big fight among the “little guys” is
November 15 with Manny Pacquiao (37-2-1) against Marco
Antonio Barrera in the Almo Dome. How about them
apples.
|
|
